Bad Kittens is the latest series of paintings by local painter Emma Gardner featuring cute furry kittens with big heads who are always smoking. Painted in dreamy pinks, pastels, and thick painterly textures, these cute little troublemakers explore a strange contradiction in American culture: we often care more about looking cool than being healthy. Inspired by childhood memories of thinking smoking looked glamorous, the paintings use sweetness and humor to question the messages we absorb from media, advertising, and entertainment. Cute, funny, and a little disturbing—just like the culture that inspired them.